


The L-Word

by dementorsatemysoup



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew Minyard Has Feelings, Attempt at Humor, Because These Boys Need More Humor In Their Lives, But Listen Listen They're Using The L-Word, Coffee, Early Mornings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, I Know They Don't Use The L-Word, Light Angst, M/M, Or Well Neil Does, POV Andrew Minyard, Post Series, Soft Andrew Minyard, Swearing, sleepy neil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24712057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: The first time Neil said it, Andrew nearly choked on his coffee.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 35
Kudos: 657





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I might add to this, I don't know yet. Let me know if you want me to and I just might :)
> 
> Thanks for reading

The first time Neil said it, Andrew nearly choked on his coffee.

It’s one of those mornings where Andrew managed to sleep through the night, the early morning sunlight waking him before Neil. He had spent a good ten minutes watching Neil sleep, something he would vehemently deny doing, before carefully getting out of bed.

He spared Kevin a passing glance, his body tangled up in his blankets, mouth hanging open, one foot hanging off the side of his bed. He looked like an overgrown toddler.

Andrew barely held a snort at bay.

He looked towards the other bed, but it appeared Robin didn’t come home last night. Andrew did not care nor did he want to know where the freshman ended up and pushed the thought from his head. Like a stray, Robin would come back when he got hungry.

After using the bathroom, he made a pot of coffee, hopping up onto the counter to wait for it to brew. He knocked his heels against the cabinet, reveling in the early morning silence.

The final gurgles from the coffee pot dragged him out of his stupor and he hopped off the counter and opened the cabinet over the sink, standing on his toes to reach the top shelves where Kevin put the mugs. He did it on purpose, Andrew knew it, and he made plans to retaliate at a later date.

Maybe.

He dragged down two mugs, thought about getting a third for Kevin, decided this would be his retaliation and kept two instead. He shut the cabinet, poured coffee into both mugs, and set one on the edge of the counter just as he heard Neil shuffling around their room.

He added too much cream and even more sugar to his own mug (according to Kevin and Neil and anyone else who has ever met Andrew and decided he cared what they thought... he didn’t), stirred the contents into the coffee, head tilted as he listened to Neil move around. He set the spoon to the side and leaned against the counter, both hands wrapped around his mug, watching as Neil stumbled out of the room. His bedhead was adorable, not that Andrew would ever say anything, and he grunted as he passed the kitchenette and entered the bathroom.

The toilet flushed, the sink came on, and Neil eventually step back into the main room. He walked towards the counter, picking his mug up, and inhaled the coffee. He made an appreciative noise, one that did interesting things to Andrew, and gave the mug a sleepy smile.

He moved towards Andrew, kissing the side of his head, and murmured, “Love you.”

He then stumbled towards the couch and Andrew hurriedly cleaned up the coffee he had spit all over the counter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you shall receive. This idea came to me at work and I thought it'd be cute 😊
> 
> If I have any more ideas I will definitely write more
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting last chapter and I hope you enjoy this too.
> 
> Bye!!

The second time Neil said it, Andrew fell off of his stool.

Andrew wouldn't call himself generous. He could count on one finger all the people he'd ever willingly bought anything for in recent years, but he was also a little petty and he couldn't let go of the mug thing.

"Oh, pizza!" Neil said, one of those doopy smiles on his face that Andrew refused to admit he liked, but his face fell when he read the word scrawled across the box. "Anchovies?"

He attempted to pull his hand away, but Andrew caught his wrist in a loose grasp, shaking his head, and he flipped the box open to reveal a pepperoni pizza.

Neil furrowed his brow for a quick second, his eyes lighting up when he caught on, and Andrew nodded; that's his boy.

Kevin was notorious for disliking anchovies.

"Has anyone ever told you you have low grade super villain energy?" Neil asked, another doopy smile on his face. He grabbed a piece of pizza, taking a large bite, and a look of contentment crossed his face.

Andrew's heart picked up speed in his chest. He had never liked anyone as much as he liked Neil, and that scared him more than he'd like to admit.

He thought about the other day, when Neil casually dropped the l-word like they said it every day, and his stomach fluttered.

Mentally he shook himself, meeting Neil's worried gaze, and said, "You have pizza sauce on your face."

He watched Andrew for another long minute, dragging his gaze away when Andrew threw a napkin at him.

The door opened and Kevin walked into the room, flipping through an Exy magazine. Andrew grabbed Neil's hand and pulled him away from the counter, dragging him towards the couch.

They stood together, heads nearly touching, watching in anticipation as Kevin set the magazine down on the counter and spotted the pizza.

His eyes lit up for a whole 3 seconds before he read the word anchovies. His shoulders tensed and he looked over his shoulder at Andrew, his glare barely masking the disappointment in his eyes.

"It's just mugs, Andrew," Kevin grumbled and stalked towards the bathroom, slamming the door.

Neil's shoulders shook with silent laughter, unbridled joy making him look younger. He shook his head, following Andrew back to the counter, flipping the box open to get another piece while Andrew perched on the edge of the stool.

Andrew leaned forward on his elbow, watching Neil eat, hoping he didn't look like a lovesick idiot. He caught Neil's gaze, his pulse stuttering when Neil grinned at him.

He scowled, looking down at the counter just as Neil's phone chimed from his pocket. Setting his pizza slice down, Neil took his phone out and checked the screen.

"Oh, it's Matt! I need to go," he picked up his pizza slice, moving around the island to give Andrew a kiss on the cheek, and said, "Thanks for the pizza. Love you. Later!"

The door closed behind Neil, and Andrew grumbled under his breath as he picked himself up off the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll write one more chapter :)
> 
> Warning: This gets a little angsty... it was bound to happen since I'm the one writing this story. I'll add appropriate tags after I post this (I might also change the rating).
> 
> Thanks for reading and thank you so much for the comments last chapter :)

The third time Neil said it, Andrew clung to the words like a life preserver.

Andrew didn't have a lot of favorite places. He liked the Fox Tower's roof, he liked his car, and, as cheesy as it sounded, he liked anywhere Neil happened to be which usually meant his car or the roof. Today they were on their bed. The fact that he was referring to anything as their's had stopped being surprising a year ago. With the exception of foster siblings, the only other person he had ever shared anything with before Neil had been Aaron and that's only because they were twins. Same womb, same face, very different yet similar childhoods.

Neil had been the first person Andrew hadn't been forced to share things with; he chose to share a bed and a car and half his wardrobe with Neil. Chose to think about a potential future with this trouble magnet of a boy; one that hopefully didn't end with Neil dead in an alley somewhere. That thought scared Andrew and like most of his fears, it turned to anger. Not towards Neil, he had given up trying to be angry with Neil a long time ago, but with circumstances that were mostly out of Neil's control. Every time he got hurt on the field, even if the injury was minor, Andrew had to take a moment to compose himself before even attempting to check on Neil.

Images of Moriyama and his men showing up to put a bullet between Neil's eyes haunted Andrew on the nights when his own past wasn't fucking him, and the worst part was he knew, despite his assurances that he could protect Neil from any threats, there wasn't much he could do about it. Not without taking a bullet of his own, and if that was what it took to give Neil a head start Andrew would gladly take it. The only problem, he knew Neil wouldn't leave him behind. They were two sides of the same dumbass coin, and Andrew had to resign himself to the fact that Neil had his back just as much as Andrew had Neil's.

But those worries were the last thing on his mind right now.

Kissing Neil always ignited something in Andrew, made him feel more alive than sitting on the roof ever could. Each touch made his skin burn hot, each new sound he managed to coax out of Neil replayed over and over in Andrew's head long after they were sated enough to get some sleep. They were fire and ice wrapped up in each other, and he could hardly believe he had met someone who could make him feel more than just the cold fury in his gut that he fought to keep at bay.

Andrew had been getting better at letting Neil's hands explore his body, some days better than others, and he'd been working up to giving him more. They'd tried sex a few times, but one or both of them had frozen up, and it had become a frustrating _maybe next time._

 _Baby steps_ , Bee had told Andrew when he tried explaining it to her, _you'll get there._

Andrew drew back from Neil, smirking when he followed him, and hovered over him on his palms. Face flushed, lips kiss swollen, pupils blown, Neil was the most beautiful person Andrew had ever seen and something fluttered in his chest.

He'd take Neil and his flaws over anyone else any day.

"You okay?"

"Why?"

"You look like you're thinking about something," Neil murmured, raising one hand to brush his fingers across Andrew's cheek.

"I'm surprised you noticed, thinking is not really your strong suit," Andrew retorted, voice deadpan, and Neil snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No."

Andrew leaned down and they began kissing again. He grabbed Neil's shoulders and flipped their positions, his back pressing into the mattress, and Neil hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching Andrew's cautiously. A silent question. They both knew Andrew still had limitations, and sometimes he tried to cross lines he wasn't ready to cross, but Neil was always ready to pull back the moment Andrew realized he wasn't ready.

Andrew was also ready to back off too, but Neil rarely said no, and the few times he did it seemed like it was mostly for Andrew's benefit. A flicker in his eyes, a hesitant hand, something that told Neil they were moving too fast for _Andrew_ but Andrew himself was trying to push past it for Neil's sake. Consent had become a staple in their relationship, and Andrew knew he wouldn't totally do away with it until he himself felt comfortable. Neil understood this better than anyone he'd ever met, and Andrew appreciated him for it.

"Andrew? Are you sure?" Neil asked softly, and Andrew met his eyes before nodding.

"Yes, just keep your hands above my waist" he said and Neil smiled.

He carefully lowered himself onto Andrew, pressing a feather soft kiss to his neck, and whispered, "Let me know when it's a no."

Andrew nodded, bringing one hand up to cup Neil's face, and turned his head so they could continue kissing.

It started out fine, but old memories flooded to the surface of Andrew's mind before he could stop them and he froze. When Neil felt him still underneath his body he immediately rolled off of Andrew and dropped to the floor, kneeling on his hands so he wouldn't reach out and touch him.

"Fuck my life," Andrew snarled covering his eyes with his hands.

"Are you okay?" Neil asked and Andrew grunted. "Okay, that was a dumb question." Neil sucked in a steady breath. "What do you need? Do you want me to leave? I'll go sit on the couch for a while, give you a moment, or I can go get you something to drink?"

"Neil." Andrew lowered one hand, looking over at Neil with a tired sigh. "Just give me a minute."

"Okay."

For every good memory Andrew had managed to drag out of the pit he had called his life, a bad one was always around the corner. Recently, he had been trying to make the good outweigh the bad, but three and a half years with Neil was not going to stop 20 years of complete hell from stomping its way into his relationship. He turned onto his side, pulling the blanket over him, and looked directly at Neil.

"Why do you stay with me?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Neil furrowed his brow and said, "I love you."

"Yeah, but why? I can't give you what you want."

"And what is it you think I want?"

Andrew sighed, shaking his head. "Stability."

"Andrew..."

"No, I don't want some fucking pity party. I just, you keep saying you-" Andrew trailed off, unable to bring himself to even say the word. "- _that_ word."

"What word?"

"Don't play stupid."

"Who says I'm playing?" Neil responded with a shrug.

"You _know_ what word." Andrew hesitated for a few seconds before reaching out, waiting until Neil took his hand before continuing. "You keep saying _it_ , and maybe one day you'll expect me to say it back. I do not know if I _can_ say it back."

"I don't expect you to," Neil said slowly, watching as Andrew toyed with his fingers. "I say it because I want _one_ person to say it to you without you expecting something in return. I wanted to during Aaron's trial and when Bee had her heart attack." Andrew flinched at both memories. "But I grew up never hearing it. My parents never said it to each other, they never said it to me. Hell, my mom's last words to me were..."

"Keep running," Andrew finished for him, keeping his eyes on Neil's hand.

"Yeah." Neil let out a heavy breath. "For a while I never thought I _could_ say it."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Honestly?" Neil dragged his free hand through his hair. "You."

Andrew raised his eyebrows, silently asking for an explanation.

"You don't have to tell me you love me because I already know you do."

"Do not."

"Liar." Neil leaned forward until his chin rested on the mattress. "After everything you've done for me, you're practically wearing a I Heart Neil t-shirt."

"That shirt does not exist."

"Until Nicky makes one," Neil said and Andrew gave him a pale smile. "Andrew, you don't need to say it," he reassured him softly. "You're actions have always been _way_ louder than your words. So, maybe you'll never actually tell me you love me, and maybe I'll have to say it enough for the both of us, but I don't need to hear it to know for sure."

Andrew watched Neil for a long moment before leaning forward and kissing his forehead. "Thank you."

Neil nodded, lips turning up in a shy smile. "I really do love you."

"I know."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end...
> 
> Thank you for reading. I just wanted these guys to have some form of fluff 😊
> 
> Thank you for every comment you left and let me know if I should write more for these two
> 
> Bye!!!

The first time Andrew said it it felt right.

It took 10 years, 2 near death experiences, way too much trauma for either Neil or Andrew to comprehend, several years' worth of therapy, and three Exy teams before they could finally live together full time.

They loved their first apartment, but when Neil brought King home after Andrew fought tooth and nail to convince the landlord to let them keep Sir, they both decided it was time to start looking for a house.

It was a long, tedious process. Neither one were looking for anything fancy, but they also weren't vibing with the choices their realtor kept bringing them either. They'd come to a standstill when they rejected the sixth house, and Andrew was certain the poor woman was about to quit.

Neil actually found the house they settled on, researching during one of his late nights when he couldn't sleep, and he had pulled Andrew out of a really good dream to show him, the bright laptop screen blinding in the pitch black room.

There wasn't anything special about the house. It was a small one-story. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, a cramped kitchen, but it sort of reminded them of Abby's place.

When they agreed to buy it, Andrew thought their realtor was going to burst into tears. She shook hands with both of them, promised to have the paperwork ready as soon as she could, and that was it.

They were home owners.

It felt weird for both of them. Neither one really had a house that belonged to them. Nicky owned the house in Colombia, and Neil had been on the run for most of his life.

It was strange, but Andrew liked it.

They started moving in when they were given the okay, the original Foxes agreeing to help them pack. It'd been a mini reunion and Andrew had to admit he didn't hate it.

It's a little past 5 in the evening, and Neil sat on the floor surrounded by boxes. King popped his head out of one of them, and he grinned, reaching out to pet his head.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked, rolling up a tape ball and tossing it across the room, laughing when King chased after it. He laughed harder when Sir jumped down from the back of the couch, landing on King and startling him so bad he made a mad dash down the hall.

Andrew watched all of this from the kitchen, arms crossed, one of his rare smiles on his face. Warmth settled in his chest as he studied Neil. He had never loved anyone as much as he loved this man.

"Hey, do you want pizza?" Neil asked, standing up and walking towards Andrew, scrolling through Google for a nearby pizza place. "Ooh, what about chicken wings?"

"I love you."

Neil looked up from his phone, eyes wide, and Andrew quickly looked away, trying and failing to scowl. He stared at the kitchen floor, heart hammering away in his chest.

"You said it."

"Don't make a big deal about it," Andrew grumbled turning back to the box of dishes. "And yeah, pizza's fine."

He heard Neil move towards him, his steps slow and deliberate, and he moved his arms enough so he could hug him from behind.

"You're going soft, Minyard."

"Shut up."

Neil grinned into his hair and murmured, "I love you, too."


End file.
